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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28901100">(you can) try again, smile again</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/topkyungsoo/pseuds/topkyungsoo'>topkyungsoo</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>EXO (Band), Hunter X Hunter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Implied/Referenced Sexual Harassment, M/M, Murder, Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 10:20:44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>10,942</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28901100</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/topkyungsoo/pseuds/topkyungsoo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In a blink of an eye the man disappeared from his convoy, sending the street into chaos. In his place was a white calling card written with the signature of the phantom assassin Suho.<br/>Luckily, veteran hunters Do Kyungsoo and Byun Baekhyun are on the case. But things are always more than meets the eye - especially when dealing with Nen.</p><p>[ For top!soo fest round 4: Anime/Manga AU ]</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Do Kyungsoo | D.O/Kim Junmyeon | Suho</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>top!soo fest: round 4 (2020-2021)</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>(you can) try again, smile again</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I tried removing as much technical terminology. Anyway, this is the HunterXHunter universe. The public doesn’t know about Nen/Auras and the powers it brings. There are police and military but they’re largely useless in cases involving Nen users. The hunter association usually takes care of that but they’re not law enforcers – more like mercenaries with some simple rules (must know nen, must not harm civilians) or else face expulsion and getting hunted by pro hunters. It’s a pretty lawless land all things considered—the deuteragonist of the series is literally a child assassin from an assassin family. Anyways please enjoy the story.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Target spotted.” A crackle from the hand-phone alerted him to the arrival of a well-distinguished man flanked by no less than four bodyguards. They were strolling the busy market street, only less than 150 meters away from a dark alley just behind a quaint café. He waited for a few minutes before replying to his conspirator. “Engaging.”</p><p>In a blink of an eye, the man disappeared from his convoy, sending the street into chaos. Military-grade rifles were pulled out as bodyguards searched for their employer. Screams and shouts of terror swelled as bystanders were questioned about the whereabouts of the Don.</p><p>In the small dinky alley, he too was gone, but nobody was there to witness it.</p>
<hr/><p>“This is the famed chimera ant claw!” Byun Baekhyun, age 23—still a rookie hunter by title, and unfortunately Do Kyungsoo’s friend from way back the hunter exam 10 years ago, pushed the object to Kyungsoo’s side of the table. “I made it a necklace just for your souvenir.”</p><p>Baekhyun had recently come back from helping deal with the small number of chimera ants who had spread from the Mitene Union to the Yorbian continent to the north. It caused panic to the people seeing insect-like creatures invade human empires—killing almost indiscriminately. Thankfully, unlike the tragic fate most people tend to have after meeting the ants, Baekhyun seemed relatively unharmed.</p><p>“Err, thanks I guess,” he replied, examining the claw. It was more than an inch long, serrated and razor-sharp. According to the reports the ants were as tall as human beings. Kyungsoo shuddered at the thought. Sometimes dealing with humans no matter how twisted they can be is better for him. At least that’s one perk of being a crime hunter. “So, what would you do next?”</p><p> </p><p>In the 10 years of being a professional hunter, Baekhyun went on random quests—never sticking to one field. It is why he is still classified as a ‘rookie’ hunter even if his skills and experience say otherwise. </p><p>“Actually, I’ve been thinking it’s time for me to specialize in a field.” Baekhyun softly tapped on the cafe table in thought. “It feels like I have done almost everything already so I guess I should pick one that I like the most.”</p><p>Kyungsoo nodded along. It was a logical next step to Baekhyun’s career. The bubbly man could easily advance into being a triple star ranked hunter.</p><p>“So, I decided to be a blacklist hunter!” Baekhyun exclaimed. “And you will be my mentor!”</p><p>Kyungsoo continued nodding, it made sense— “wait, what?”</p><p>“You heard me right, you will be my mentor. Well if that’s alright with you, that is.” He smiled sheepishly. “You wouldn’t refuse this small favor for an old friend, right?”</p><p>“Baekhyun, you don’t need a mentor,” Kyungsoo replied flatly—feeling a tinge of ache blossoming in his temples. “You’ve been a hunter for years.”</p><p>“First of all, good hunters never stop learning and asking for guidance.” Okay, he might have a point there. “Second of all, I only want to learn from the best. And you, my friend, are the best crime hunter of this generation.”</p><p>“Flattery will get nowhere.” The crime hunter rebutted, despite the heat pooling to his face. “And we both know that’s a damn lie. Besides I am a crime hunter as you said, not a blacklist hunter.”</p><p>“Psh, what’s the difference anyway?” Baekhyun waved his hands as he spoke. “We both will hunt criminals anyway.”</p><p>“The goals are different, Baek.” Kyungsoo sighed, across him his friend mimed his speech. “You know as well as I do that crime hunters hunt unsolvable crimes. Blacklist hunters hunt the most wanted criminals in the world.”</p><p>“‘for bounty’ you forgot that part. I’m not a saint you know. “Baekhyun clicked his tongue. “Although I’ll probably avoid bounties that are set by the mafia community. I’d rather starve than be a paid gunman for them.”</p><p>“So why even be a blacklist hunter if you don’t like how they usually operate?” A small part of Kyungsoo felt relieved that the Baekhyun in front of him is still the same as ever.</p><p>“There are evils in this world that need to be shackled—but are unfortunately shielded by large families.” For a minute, Baekhyun spoke in a somber tone. “And I think if I want to change that, I need to be involved within the system.”</p><p>Both fell into silence, the chatter in the diner distant from their senses. “Just be careful Baek, don’t overextend yourself.”</p><p>“I promise you’ll be the first I’ll call when I’m in trouble.”</p><p>
  <i>CHIRP, CHIRP</i>
</p><p>The pager in his pocket chirped twice, halting his thought process. Kyungsoo took the device out and immediately stood up, his mind running miles per hour already.</p><p>“Where are we going?” Baekhyun followed, packing his bag up. It was almost impossible to dissuade Baekhyun from whatever he wanted. Thus, the crime hunter simply said, “to a crime scene.”</p>
<hr/><p>They arrived way too late—the busy market street more congested than usual. Police tapes surround the area while mobsters needlessly intimidate bystanders into testifying if they saw something odd.</p><p>His police contact, a man named Minseok spotted them in the crowd and discreetly let them inside the perimeter. Kyungsoo marched to the center, where the victim was last seen.</p><p>There, on the well-trodden pavement is a pristine white card signed with the pen name Suho. The surroundings were clear with no sign of struggle in sight.</p><p>“What are we looking at?” Baekhyun asked, perplexed by the conditions of the crime scene.</p><p>“The only evidence of the crime happening,” Kyungsoo said. “A calling card of an assassin.”</p><p>He led Baekhyun to where Officer Minseok was standing, trying to appease the curious crowds.</p><p>“Hyung, are there any leads?” The hunter asked the policeman.</p><p>“None. Just the usual—the street footage is wiped too and the mafia is being uncooperative and is no help at all,” Minseok whispered. “Honestly it’s not a surprise that a don got a hit on him. But they’re not disclosing any information so finding someone with a motive is impossible.”</p><p>“A dead-end then.” Kyungsoo sighed. He patted the back of the officer and wished him luck before ducking back to the crowd.</p><p>“Wait, we’re leaving already?” Baekhyun asked as he followed closely. “You didn’t even check things on your own.”</p><p>“Minseok-hyung is a meticulous investigator. Besides I don’t want to overstay our welcome here.” He discreetly motioned at the mafia members leering at them.</p><p>“I didn’t take you as being afraid of a small scuffle.” Baekhyun snorted, but he too quickened his pace.</p><p>“The few moments of triumph are not good enough to warrant getting the only policeman I trust into trouble.” Kyungsoo shook his head. “And who says we’re done investigating? The assassin wouldn’t have stayed in that crowd if he had any brain at all.”</p><p>“I don’t know, I get the feeling that we are still being watched and not by those meathead gunmen.” The rookie hunter flailed his thumb in the direction of said mafia members.</p><p>“That’s normal. Unless you can manage to pinpoint the location?” He asked. Whoever was watching, presumably Suho himself, always did a good job of hiding his own presence. He never had any luck with it, but Baekhyun can detect aura from way farther than Kyungsoo anyway.</p><p>The crowd around them thinned as they reached the outskirts of the market district.</p><p>“They’re pretty close, but nah—no specific direction.” Baekhyun sighed. “They’re being cautious – they’re concealing their aura and presence this whole time. I don’t think they see us as a threat. Not yet at least.”</p><p>Kyungsoo shrugged as they made their way to his automobile. “I guess we’ll just use this incident to brief you on the case.”</p><p>“Does that mean you accept me as your partner?” Baekhyun asked—his voice lilting.</p><p>“Maybe.” Kyungsoo opened his car door.</p><p>“That’s a yes in Kyungsoo speak.” The blacklist hunter hurriedly opened the passenger side and hopped in.</p><p>A few blocks away, up in the rooftops, a man handed his binoculars to his friend as the two hunters drove away.</p>
<hr/><p>“So, what do we know about the case?” Baekhyun asked while nibbling on a dumpling. On the way to Kyungsoo’s base of operations, the soon-to-be blacklist hunter insisted on eating Kakinese cuisine.</p><p>“This is not a good place to talk about it.” Kyungsoo sighed, barely touching his own order. “But I guess there’s not much known anyway.”</p><p>“I could put up a sound-proof barrier.” Baekhyun moved his feet so it was touching Kyungsoo’s and activated his Nen ability. He could copy a weaker version of another person’s Nen ability provided that he sees it once. The more exposure he has for the ability, the closer his copy becomes. “An ally chimera ant had this awesome ability to be completely imperceptible along with allies in contact.”</p><p>“That’s very useful.” The crime hunter mused, thinking of several different ways the ability could have been a literal lifesaver in their line of work.</p><p>“It is, too bad I only saw it once and from so far away,” Baekhyun replied, wistful of the fact that he missed out on strengthening his copy. He turned his attention back to his friend. “So, you were saying?”</p><p>“Right, there have been at least 50 confirmed victims of the same assassin using the same method,” Kyungsoo explained. He took out several photographs of crime scenes and laid them on the table.</p><p>“There have been plenty of copycat crimes, but they always left some sort of evidence which led to their capture.”</p><p>“How do you know they’re copycats?” Baekhyun leaned in, examining each picture.</p><p>“Because even after they got caught, more real cases still occurred. Besides, the real phantom assassin was quite thorough in making sure there was no clue on the scene except for the calling card.” Kyungsoo pointed at the eerie card present in all of the pictures. It was stark white except for the signature written in crimson red. “The witnesses don’t even know where the card came from. All we know is the card was an actual card imbued with Nen. We can tell because the card has a tiny amount of residue on it—just barely enough to know that it used to be there.”</p><p>“So, there’s no way to know where the Nen comes from because it’s back to being a normal card,” Baekhyun concluded. He could see how the assassin managed to escape having his identity unveiled.</p><p>“How are we supposed to catch this assassin?”</p><p>“I have an idea, although it's just pure conjecture at this point.” Kyungsoo conjured small Nen figurines on the table to represent the victim and the assassin. The assassin figurine tried snapping the victim figurine out of existence to no avail. “Since it’s based on Nen, it still follows some rules. Making living people dissolve into thin air is almost impossible.”</p><p>“Which means they’re teleporting the victim elsewhere, even on a Nen-made field.” Baekhyun reasoned out. Kyungsoo nodded, and the assassin figurine created a warp hole below the victim to another spot on the table. “But even then, doing such things requires strong conditions.”</p><p>“The easiest is distance. Since we have no reports of people touching the victim during the crime, we can assume that the activation conduit for ability is already in place where the victim is. There are two scenarios where this can happen.” The assassin figurine placed a warp hole a few steps away from the victim. The victim figurine then wanders around naively, falling into the open warp hole. “The assassin could plant a trap warp hole in a place they are sure that the victim will step on.”</p><p>“But that's unreliable for public spaces, and not to mention inefficient,” Baekhyun replied. “I'm sure whoever the assassin is, they won't leave his targets to chance.”</p><p>“Exactly, so this leaves us with the second scenario.” The assassin figurine gave a card to the victim, walked away to a safe distance before a warp hole opened where the victim was. “An activation token was planted to the victim's body even before the disappearance. It could be anything, but seeing as a Nen-infused card is always found in the crime scenes, it's most likely the activation token.”</p><p>“Even with an activation token, the caster still needs to be a fairly close distance to the target,” Baekhyun said. “Less than 150 meters, at the very least, and they probably need the victim on their line of sight. Do we have footage of the crime scene during the disappearance?”</p><p>“None.” Kyungsoo shook his head. “It seems that whoever the assassin is, he knows how to hack and tamper with all security cameras, private or federal.”</p><p>“Have you considered that he’s not working alone?” Baekhyun asked. “That’s a bit too much to do alone, especially since he’s making the victim disappear too.”</p><p>“I have,” Kyungsoo confirmed. He conjured two more figurines to stand beside the assassin figurine. “I’m thinking he has no less than two accomplices.”</p><p>“Two? One is the hacker, who’s the other one?” Baekhyun pointed at one of the accomplice figurines.</p><p>“Well, while we don’t have any footage of the instant the victims disappear, we do have a lot of first- hand witnesses. Some of the crimes happen in very public places.” Kyungsoo explained. “And as you said before, considering how large the amount of aura this ability would need, the activation distance needs to be really close. So, the assassin would need to be present at the crime scene.”</p><p>“But if there was a common person during all the cases, that person would get interrogated already.” Baekhyun realized where his friend is going with the conjecture. “Unless... it’s a person who can disguise themselves using Nen.”</p><p>“Right, and with an ability like this it’s almost impossible for the assassin to have enough space in their brain to even add another complex ability.” Kyungsoo reasoned. “So that brings us up to at least the three people working together. One person is responsible for creating the activation token and teleporting the victim. Another person who can disguise themselves and activate the token. And the last person is there to wipe any footage of the crime scene.”</p><p>“But there's no eyewitness on any of the three?” Baekhyun guessed and Kyungsoo nodded in affirmation. “It’s almost impossible to wipe the mind of several people that fast. It would be obvious if they have gaps in their memory.”</p><p>“Which means all the public place cases are water-tight. As there are no reports of any newcomers, odd people or even doppelgangers coming in contact with the victims.” Kyungsoo sighed, dismissing the conjured figurines. “And I personally have questioned dozens of witnesses, nobody really saw anything during the disappearance.”</p><p>Baekhyun groaned. “So, what’s our plan? Just wait for the group to mess up?”</p><p>Kyungsoo shook his head. “Not quite, as I said before, there is someone in the group who gets extremely close to the victim. For all the cases I have seen, I wasn’t the first to come after a report was made.”</p><p>“Then by that time you arrived they might be half a mile away already.” Baekhyun perked up. “But how will we arrive as soon as possible? Heck, how will we know something even happened?”</p><p>“That’s where you come in the plan. You’re one of the most powerful Nen users I know, how wide can you detect Nen use?” Kyungsoo asked.</p><p>Baekhyun grinned widely—almost crazed. “You won’t believe what I’ve learned recently.”</p>
<hr/><p>“Sorry.” A short man bumped past him as he's entering a Kakinese diner. Trailing behind the man was another man with similar height but had bold pink hair. His friend had briefed him on who those two are—the famous crime hunter Do Kyungsoo with the boisterous rookie hunter Byun Baekhyun. Meeting them here was not part of the plan, so he plasters on his best, beaming smile. “It's no problem.”</p><p>He scooted to the side, letting the two hunters pass through. Do Kyungsoo walked for a bit before he paused to stare back at him—eyebrows furrowed. He waved back at the hunter and sent him a wink before heading inside the diner—catching the faint pink gracing the hunter's cheeks. For someone who has a reputation of being overly serious, he was awfully cute.</p><p>He walked towards the client sitting at the farthest corner of the diner. It was rude to keep a client waiting after all. “I hope I didn't make you wait for too long.”</p><p>The client nervously looked at their surroundings. “I'm sorry, can we get to business? I'm worried that some people might see us together.”</p><p>“Sure,” he agreed easily. While he was raised to deal with pleasantries first, he knows that some clients have security concerns. “Have you decided to hire my expertise?”</p><p>Although frayed and nervous, an ember lit behind the woman's eye. “Yes. Tell me how much it would take.”</p><p>“A lot. And I don't mean money.” He procured a thin blank white card and slid it across the table. “All I offer is the gun. Can you pull the trigger on your own?”</p>
<hr/><p>It didn't take too long until the next case happened. As elusive as the assassin named Suho is, there were some consistencies in his pattern. He never left the Yorbian continent and most of the victims were prominent people. Thus, the majority of them can be found in the cities.</p><p>The day it happened was like any other. Baekhyun was in a deep meditative state inside Kyungsoo's safehouse in Short Island, commanding a drone of dragonflies equipped with short-range Nen sensors, patrolling each major city in the continent. Beside him was Kyungsoo who was with their colleague, beast hunter Kai just a beeper away for an IOU claim.</p><p>Kyungsoo watched as Baekhyun suddenly stood up. “You have the location?”</p><p>Baekhyun nodded, and Kyungsoo rang his beeper to Kai who promptly appeared in the safe house after a few seconds. The beast hunter had the Nen ability to run at the speed of lightning. Not quite teleportation but pretty damn near close considering that the destination was in the same state.</p><p>“Where to?” Kai asked, stretching his arms.</p><p>“In Yorknew City,” Baekhyun replied. The two hunters were heaved onto Kai's shoulders and in a blink of an eye, they arrived at the high skyscrapers of Yorknew City.</p><p>“Thank you, truly,” Kyungsoo said to their friend, ignoring the embarrassment of being lugged around like a deadweight.</p><p>“It's fine, just pay for my meals for a week,” Kai replied, grinning. “I'll be going now. Best of luck to both of you.”</p><p>The beast hunter disappeared, leaving the two behind on the rooftops of the skyscraper.</p><p>“I'll do my surveillance here,” Baekhyun said offhandedly, talking to someone on the phone. “I notified the police. Go to the crime scene already.”</p><p>Everchanging tendrils of Baekhyun's aura enveloped the block, the farthest-reaching the edges of the city.</p><p>Kyungsoo hurried down to the executive floor of the company, conjuring his glasses. There were only a handful of people on the executive floor. Everyone seemed stressed but not nervous. It was odd but it probably had to do with the fact that they still haven't discovered where the victim is. Kyungsoo walked down the corridor to reach the CEO's office. He turned the doorknob. Nothing. The door was completely locked.</p><p>He glanced behind the glass doors. As expected there was no one there. The white card glowed brightly with Nen—something that he didn't expect. Usually, when he arrives at the scene, there is only a faint residue of Nen on the card—nothing like this.</p><p>He turned around to where the secretary's desk is, still oblivious of Kyungsoo's presence. A blank empty stare on paperwork is what greeted him. Kyungsoo waved a hand in front of the woman's face. She didn't react.</p><p>Odd.</p><p>His glasses show that her heart rate and hormone levels are low and calm as if she's sleeping. Around her, the thin leaking layer of aura that normal people have is gone.</p><p>The assassin had touched another person. This was something that never happened before. Was it to take out a potential witness?</p><p>With the hopes that the assailant was still in the building, he pressed the secretary's intercom to spread a message to everyone.</p><p>“This is professional crime hunter Do Kyungsoo of Hunter's association. This company's CEO has been attacked by phantom assassin Suho. Authorities are on the way and I expect everyone to cooperate. Thank you.”</p><p>A wave of nervousness and fear rushed through the building. Kyungsoo quickly scanned the floors while running down the stairwell. Everyone had the same reaction to the news – raised heartbeat and cortisol levels. They were stressed – understandably so.</p><p>The ground floor seemed to allow just about anyone with an ID to enter. The building had a branch of the popular coffee shop franchise Moonbucks, which always attracted workers from neighboring buildings to chill in. With the police finally entering, bringing a wave of excited people passing him by—Kyungsoo's glasses seemed to be overwhelmed with the sheer number of things to examine. He won’t be able to get something useful like this. He whipped out his phone.</p><p>“Baekhyun have you noticed something abnormal?” He called his friend but all he received was white noise. “Baekhyun? Baek? Damn it.”</p><p>Communications were cut off. He needed to think of a new plan he could do while he was all alone. If the hacker bothered to jam cell signals within the building, then it must mean that the assassin is still within.</p><p>He ran to the building receptionist. “Excuse me, is there any underground parking lot? Or is this the only entrance and exit for the building?”</p><p>“This is the only entrance and exit sir,” the receptionist replied. </p><p>Kyungsoo thanked the woman. He would have asked the staff to prevent anyone from entering or leaving but as esteemed a hunter is, he doesn't exactly have the authority to do so. He went back to searching for any suspicious person on the ground floor.</p><p>They couldn't have gone out without Kyungsoo noticing—</p><p>“Hey, I was wondering what's happening?” A man asked from behind Kyungsoo. The crime hunter turned around and found the handsome stranger from the Kakinese diner. He was wearing a well-tailored three-piece black velvet suit adorned with designer brand gold and diamond cufflinks. His hair was neatly styled up to show off his forehead. He didn’t work in the building – the lack of ID makes it obvious. Maybe he was a CEO here on business? He definitely looked like one.</p><p>Kyungsoo’s Nen display showed the man's vital signs—a calm heartbeat and hormone levels. The man seemed to recognize him too and smiled. “Oh, you're the person from the diner. It’s nice to see you again.”</p><p>“Nice to see you too.” Kyungsoo smiled back. The man had a disarming smile—he had to admit. But he had no time for pleasantries, so he tamped down the heat on his cheeks and quickly moved to the topic.</p><p>“The CEO of the building has been targeted by a notorious assassin. Didn't you hear my announcement earlier?”</p><p>“I'm sorry. I had earphones on earlier.” There was a spike in the man's heartbeat, but it quickly settled back down. He knew that pattern. It was the sign of a trained liar. A sense of cold realization washed down the small smile on Kyungsoo’s face. “Are you with the police? Is there an investigation going on right now?”</p><p>“Yes, and as of right now everyone in the building is considered a suspect.” Kyungsoo divulged, narrowing his eyes as he re-appraised the man. The man had a really thin layer of aura surrounding him – too thin to be useful in defending yourself, similar to a normal person. But it seemed a bit too smooth.</p><p>The man gasped and paled. “You mean to say there's a killer on the loose here?” </p><p>Kyungsoo’s gut twisted. There practically was no change in the man’s vital signs despite him looking distraught. It was uncanny. He didn’t like this at all. What should he do —</p><p>“KYUNGSOO!”</p><p>Near the elevator, a familiar face—Kim Minseok—called out his name. Talk about bad timing. But something must have happened. Kyungsoo turned back to the stranger. “He might still be here. Please cooperate with the authorities. I have to go for now.”</p><p>He filed the man's face in the back of his mind. There were a lot of questions running in Kyungsoo’s head but that can wait for later.</p><p>Kyungsoo jogged to where his police informant was waiting. “Any update Minseok-hyung? Has the secretary woke up yet?”</p><p>Minseok looked at him confusedly. “What do you mean? She was fine when we got there. A little confused, yes, but not unconscious.”</p><p>“Then she already woke up. Let's hurry back up.” Kyungsoo rushed into the elevator. “The staff wasn't aware of the crime when I first arrived here, and the secretary was in a Nen-induced catatonic state. I had to make the announcement.”</p><p>When they reached the executive floor, he found the secretary talking to detectives. Her life energy was still dangerously low. The card—now rid of huge amounts of Nen was being put in evidence bags by the other officers on the floor.</p><p>“So, you're saying you didn't see anyone pass through here.” The secretary nodded. Her heart rate was pretty high – which was expected. “And you didn't notice when the president disappeared.”</p><p>She affirmed again and the detectives sighed in frustration. Kyungsoo cleared his throat. “She was out of it when I arrived here. That explains her gaps in memory.”</p><p>“I don't know who you are, but are you accusing me of sleeping on the job?” She asked. her heart spiked a bit more. “I have never done such a thing in my life.”</p><p>“You don't even remember me making the announcement through your intercom, do you?” Kyungsoo replied. “You were not responding when I was talking to you earlier. It's not your fault. Somebody knocked you out.”</p><p>That seemed to calm her a bit down, though she was still clearly frazzled by the event. “I suppose so.”</p><p>“Now, did anyone else enter the CEO's office?” Kyungsoo asked.</p><p>“No sir. He specifically ordered me to not let anyone in today.” The secretary replied. “Only I went in, and it was to deliver documents and contact cards of potential partners.”</p><p>“Did you notice anything odd about the documents or the cards?” The crime hunter asked. “A white card or anything like that?”</p><p>“I'm sorry. The CEO ordered me to never inspect the things I deliver to him for privacy.” Throughout it all, while she seemed tense—her heartbeat never fluctuated weirdly. She was telling the truth.</p><p>“Last question. Did your boss have any enemies—people that didn't like him?”</p><p>Her heart raced as she answered hesitatingly, “N-No sir.”</p><p>“Thank you.” Kyungsoo stepped away to give her space to breathe. Kyungsoo focused his hearing on the other executives on the floor murmuring away at her last response.</p><p>“Good riddance.”</p><p>“̴…̴L̶e̴c̴h̶e̶r̵o̴u̷s̴.̶”̴</p><p>“̷G̶o̶t̷t̷a̵ ̴a̴d̴m̷i̵r̶e̶ ̶h̶e̵r̶ ̶g̷u̸t̷s̶ ̵f̶o̸r̴ ̶l̸y̶i̴n̶g̸ ̶t̵o̷ ̷a̸ ̴h̶u̸n̴t̶e̸r̸’̶s̷ ̷f̶a̶c̸e̴.̴”̶</p><p>“̴T̷o̷o̴ ̶h̸a̸n̸d̷s̶y̴.̴”̶</p><p>“̴S̴l̸a̶v̶e̷-̷d̶r̷i̶v̴i̷n̸g̷ ̸p̸i̸e̴c̶e̸ ̶o̶f̸ ̵s̷h̴i̷t̴.̸”̷</p><p>“̺͝…̡̱̙̑̀̂̿͟b̧̛̫̟͖̻̌̄̉͛uť̡̲͉̋͗ ̤̻̳̞̥̑͌͞͠ş̛͙̎̈͜ȟ̭̣̦͗̾̈͢e̩̠̞̩͋͒̇̐ ̙̥͎͛̄w̢͖̞̽̍̽̕ͅȃ̢̡͕̰̎̌͘s̡̬̮̮͂͋̀̚ ̘̱̺̐̉w̢̜͙͉̆̇̽ḩ̢̹̬̄̿̎́o̖̣̎̃ ̱̫̾͊ṟ̒e̬̺̓c͎͡e̹̘̗̿͐̅i͙̬̓̉v͔̝̱̾̉́͝ͅȇ̟̘͆d ̥͙̈̓th͔̤̼̙͒̊͂͑e͘͢ ̞̱́̾f̡̫̭̀̋͆ū̩̼̃l̢͊͜l̠̞̯̟͐̂̓̚ b̢̛̳̜̩̋̂͝ř̛̭̰͉̯̥͌ǔ͔̼̙̼̾́́n̩͔̰̾͒̕t̘̠̪̺̮͛̀͛̍̌ ọ̢̆̆̒͟f͖͙̦̻̜̔̇̂̂͞ ̲͎͗̇i͖̯͙͕̇̀̄͞t͉̖̠͔̓͆̈́̕?̨͆”̛͔͚̖̓̚ ̭́</p><p>“̘͔̇̉W̩̖̫̗̍̄̊e̤̊l̰̙̭̯̩͋̑͊̕l̼͓̣̓̂͘͜͠ ̺͈̩͑̓͌m̡̬̰͎̀͐͑͝ą̨͊̐͟ý̡̺͐͜͡b̳̤̣̌͠͞e̛͔̥̿ ̻̕͟ṣ͉͗͝he̠̽ a̳͂c̜̰̳͍͑͒͋̆͘͟tu̞̐a̯̥̱̐͑l͇̄l͓͍̩̽̆̒y͎͗ ̡͖̪̀̏̋̈́͜l̺̘̰̇͒̒i̲͘k̪͍̓̏ě̘̹̔d̩͈̼͇̿͑͡͠ ͈͙͑̈i̡͉̮̍̋͛͌ͅẗ̥͙́͘?͈͘”͇̼̯͍̐̉̿̚</p><p>Kyungsoo watched as the loud murmurs seemed to slowly bother the secretary. He cleared his throat and asked the officers. “Did we get any security footage this time?”</p><p>“No. It was all wiped again.” It was Minseok who replied. He clicked on his phone. “Seems like the cell signal is working again though.”</p><p>“Shit. Then that must mean the assassin has escaped already.” Kyungsoo hurriedly dialed his friend's number. “Baek, did you see anyone leave?”</p><p>“Just one car. A really tall guy and this really weak Nen user. Why?” Baekhyun replied.</p><p>“That may be our suspect. Where are you?” Kyungsoo made his way back to the stairs to the roof deck. “Is there any other Nen user in the building?”</p><p> </p><p>“None that I noticed if there are they have like zero aura surrounding them. ” Baekhyun replied. The door to the roof opened, revealing the blacklist hunter. “The car drove eastwards. A nondescript silver sedan.”</p><p>“Thanks.” The crime hunter stared over the edge of the roof. His conjured glasses gained a telescopic lens as he tried to locate the car. “Any description for the people in it, other than tall?”</p><p>“I didn't get to see their faces from here,” Baekhyun asked, annoyed. “I can try to locate them again using Nen though.”</p><p>The tendrils of Baekhyun's aura left the block of the building and extended to the east. Apparently, the idea of having an irregular shaped and moving aura for detection was another thing Baekhyun got from Chimera Ants.</p><p>“I have a feeling that they already went and closed all of their aura nodes. You probably won’t find him like that anymore.” Kyungsoo sighed. There were at least dozens of silver cars in his limited view. “I think we'll have better luck asking the people on the ground floor.”</p><p>“Let's go then.” Baekhyun withdrew his aura and walked over to the edge of the roof. “Let's take the express lane downwards.”</p><p>The blacklist hunter flipped over the edge like the show-off that he is. Kyungsoo reluctantly conjured a grapple gun and dove downwards.</p><p> </p><p>“Miss, someone left this building not too long ago. Do you remember what they looked like?” Kyungsoo was back to talking to the ground-floor receptionist. Meanwhile, Baekhyun was coordinating with the police stationed at the exit.</p><p>“He was a man around your height. He had a really expensive suit and cufflinks on. I thought he was one of the CEO’s clients.” The secretary helpfully replied. “His friend who came to get him was easily above 6 feet in height and with bowlegs and red hair.”</p><p>Something about the description tickled the back of Kyungsoo's mind. He conjured back his glasses in search of the oddly calm heartbeat of the man he talked to earlier. But he seemed to be gone from the vicinity. He turned back to the receptionist. “By chance, do you remember if he's the man I was talking to earlier before I came back upstairs?”</p><p>The receptionist thought for a moment. “I think so, sir.”</p><p>Kyungsoo thanked her and went to where Baekhyun was waiting. “I remember what he looks like. We can get a sketch done soon.”</p><p>“And I know how he managed to get past the police,” Baekhyun replied. “Guy had a signatory ring of the Kim Mafia family. You know how that goes. Are we sure it's him? It's surprising that the Mafia would have the infamous assassin within considering that the victims are mostly elites too.”</p><p>“Could be a fake ring, a traitor, or that the Kim Family has some other plans—they had very little operation these past few years.” Kyungsoo was going off the little he remembered about the family. It had been years since he heard anything about them. “Besides you're the one who said he's a Nen user. He was acting weird. His aura was a bit too smooth but I practically felt no pressure from him.”</p><p>“He was suppressing his aura down to normal human levels but he let that go after stepping in the car,” Baekhyun replied. It’s smart honestly. Closing off all your aura nodes when you know someone is scanning for Nen users is like painting a target on your back. “An aura tendril brushed the car a few meters after they departed. That’s when I sensed his Nen level. Although he's still not much of a Nen master if we go by the amount of Aura output. I'm not sure if he could handle teleporting the victim or even wiping memories with that tiny bit of Aura.”</p><p>“It's possible if two or more people are involved in casting the teleportation spell.” Kyungsoo mused. “There was something odd about the executive floor. The secretary had a lot of her life energy drained. At first, I just assumed she was attacked by a simple malevolent Nen attack but...”</p><p>“It could be that her life energy was partially used to fuel the teleportation ability,” Baekhyun concluded. “But that's risky if forced and could have killed her. Besides, how will he know that there will be an available source nearby for activation?”</p><p>“I have a theory. But we need to get a clear picture of the suspect first.” Kyungsoo honestly didn’t want to think of the possibility in his mind. The whispers upstairs, the secretary lying about the CEO not having enemies, the risk of using another person’s life energy – it all tied into a nasty what-if scenario in his head. “Let's go back to Minseok-hyung. He's really good at doing police sketches.”</p><p>“Describe to me what the man looked like.” It was always eerie to see Minseok at work. Latched to his arm was some sort of a small Nen beast—a round and chubby-cheeked cat. But he didn't seem to even notice.</p><p>They found a small quiet corner in the building. The police were finishing up the investigation, so they only had a few minutes to do this.</p><p>“Natural genius?” Baekhyun whispered in astonishment. Kyungsoo nodded in affirmation.</p><p>It was rare but entirely possible for certain people who had no idea about Nen to unconsciously have a Nen ability and impart aura to their work. They weren’t like normal awakened people. They didn’t emit aura pressure and they have no thick aura shield surrounding them. There was no way to know what they are unless you see them in action.</p><p>“Let's see. He had this rich handsome look to him. He was elegant and classically handsome but also a touch adorable—kind of like a rabbit.” Kyungsoo was trying to ignore the Nen beast that has latched on his head – trying to extract the mental image from it. He knew his descriptions weren't super helpful for the sketch but as long as he focused on the image it would be fine. It was just how Minseok's ability worked. “He had this smooth fair skin, and a rather tall nose and round, double-lidded eyes. His eyebrows are arched gently and are nice and thick. He's only a tiny bit taller than me, around 1.73 meters tall. He's well built, probably knows how to fight.”</p><p> </p><p>“'I remember how he looks like' is an understatement.” Baekhyun snorted. “That was pretty specific for someone you saw twice and in total for less than five minutes.”</p><p>“He just has that kind of face you know...” Kyungsoo reasoned out but he doesn't know why he vividly remembers.</p><p>“Your ideal type kind of face you mean.” Minseok giggled, still adding finishing touches to the police sketch.</p><p>“W-What? He's a criminal, how can he be my ideal type?” Kyungsoo sputtered out. The idea was extremely ridiculous.</p><p>“You forget that we have been working together on cases for years.” Minseok put down the pencil and showed his sketch. It was perfect, almost life-like as if someone took a snapshot of Kyungsoo's memories of the guy. “I've seen you be a honeypot to criminals before. Handsome, high society criminals tend to be your favorite victims.”</p><p>“Kyungja, I didn’t know you were so wild.” Baekhyun looked like he hit a goldmine. “I knew it deep down in my heart that you would make me proud.”</p><p>“What the—how did you get to that conclusion?” He nearly shouted. It was a good thing Baekhyun put another soundproof barrier. “I'm not interested in them in that way.”</p><p>“Sure. And the handcuffs you carry during those events despite not being a cop is just for funsies too.”</p><p>Minseok deadpanned. “Anyway, it's not the time to discuss Kyungsoo's kinky interests. We have the sketch, what do we do?”</p><p>It took him a few minutes to calm himself down. The idea was preposterous. And a handcuff is literally his Nen weapon. It forces the captured person’s aura nodes to close and weakens them. It’s practical. Besides even if the suspect was pleasing to the eye, he’s still who he is. An assassin who killed his targets like a ghost spiriting people away.</p><p>Kyungsoo replied. “We go back to the witness.”</p><p> </p><p>They stopped by again to the secretary who was resting from being fatigued. “Sorry to bother you again,<br/>
but have you seen this man?”</p><p>“No, I don't think I have.” The secretary replied, trailing off—still staring hard at the picture. All of her vitals were steady. She was not lying.</p><p>Damn it. He was so sure that he would find a clue with her. He opened his mouth to speak. “Let's g-”</p><p>“But what?” Baekhyun pressed on, cutting him off, eyes locked with the secretary.</p><p>She hesitated for a few moments. “I know that I haven't seen him—at least not more than in passing. But... somehow for a few seconds, it felt like I did. But I can't seem to place where I saw him.”</p><p>“Thank you for your cooperation,” Baekhyun replied and motioned for Kyungsoo to discuss something privately. “She's not lying.” </p><p>Kyungsoo sighed. “I know. We've reached a dead-end-”</p><p>“No. I meant she wasn't lying when she first thought she knew him.” Baekhyun cut him off. “I've seen this before. This is a classic memory-wipe residue.”<br/>
He had seen this before with victims getting temporary amnesia after head trauma. He wasn’t sure if the same thing happened with memories erased using Nen. But it did make sense, and Baekhyun had met a lot of people with a variety of Nen abilities. “I trust your instincts. But we can't pass that info off to the police until we get a Nen telepath to check her mind. And I currently don't know any.”</p><p>Baekhyun shrugged. “Then we just keep this in mind for the unofficial investigation. Considering that our main suspect is allegedly part of the Kim Family, it will be better this way don't you think?”</p><p>Kyungsoo nodded. Involving police investigations with Mafia families always tends to favor the latter.</p><p>“What will we do with the sketch?”</p><p>“We try to bait people who might know them.”</p>
<hr/><p>“What do we do now?” The hacker, _pcy sighed. He had already tried wiping the web of the sketch, but the source was a Hunter-encrypted website—meaning it was uncrackable to people without Nen. “I'm pretty sure a shit ton of Blacklist hunters will be searching for us.”</p><p>“No. I don't think so. Look at the original post.” The assassin pointed at the screen. “There was no bounty, so the sketch didn't come from the police nor the mafia. It's those two hunters.”</p><p>“Then this is because you talked to that short-stack.” _pcy groaned. “I thought we're trying to stay low as long as possible. Why did you do it?”</p><p>Suho hummed, looking back to his memory of the man. “He is an interesting person.”</p><p>“He's a hunter who hunts criminals like you and me,” _pcy interjected.</p><p>“A hunter who chose the less lucrative field of crime hunting instead of blacklist hunting for the mafia and governments.” Suho defended. He had researched Do Kyungsoo’s career and background. He tended to stick to unsolvable cases with practically no bounty at all. But there were times he would go after large politicians and mafia families. It was commonly believed it was why the crime hunter was still stuck to being one-star ranked when he could have qualified for a two-star easily. “Any other life, I'm sure the two of us would have gotten along really well.”</p><p>The hacker sighed, knowing that his friend does things a lot of the time based on what his guts tell him.<br/>
“Right. So, do we stop for a bit and try to get this sketch buried first?”</p><p>“No. This next client's case is too delicate and time-sensitive for that.” The assassin replied. “Maybe after this, we can take a rest.”</p><p>“Okay—okay.” _pcy sighed. “. In the meantime, let me see what I can do to ease the pressure on us.”</p>
<hr/><p>It came out almost a week after the latest case. The headline, “Phantom Assassin: An Unsung Hero of the Oppressed”, printed boldly in the newspaper Yorknewer. It detailed most of the victims of the phantom assassin and things that dirty illegal things they have been involved in. It came with a well-documented archive of evidence for each one—confidential paper trails and first-hand witness accounts that were purposely ignored by the justice system. It brought the official police investigation to a crawl—not prioritized anymore as the public demanded accountability. But the pair of hunters were determined to see through the investigation—even if it seemed like they were heading for a dead-end too.</p><p>The wanted sketch got the attention of the public, but it seemed like Suho was more careful as the only witness account regarding him was when he was nearby a crime scene. Each time he used a different name, and only in extremely public places where he could blend in as part of the crowd.</p><p>Even the Kim Mafia ring didn't give them any insight. The mafia is all but dead after their old leader died—leaving his young heir parentless years ago. The members of the family all left or shifted loyalties after their being left with a young kid as a leader. The Kim heir, Kim Junmyeon was declared missing not even a month later, rumored to be kidnapped and tortured by other mafia dons.</p><p>“Hunters Do Kyungsoo and Byun Baekhyun?” A man with sharp features, stopped by their table in the Kakinese Diner. They were regularly dining at the place in case the suspect turned up in the same place again. “You wanted to meet me? Kim Jongdae, a journalist for the Yorknewer.”</p><p>“Yes, sorry if this was an inconvenience to you,” Kyungsoo replied, motioning for the other to sit. “I just would like to discuss a few things.”</p><p>““Let's cut to the chase, shall we?” Jongdae smiled thinly. “I'm assuming this is about my article about the phantom assassin's victims.”</p><p>“Yes, your article caught our eye,” Baekhyun said. The article put the cases in a new light for them. Kyungsoo had suspicions, but he had no evidence. It left both of them hesitating on how to deal with the case. As much as possible, Kyungsoo brought his targets to light without killing them. But there were cases where it became a fight for life between the target and him. “We would like to know how you came about the information you published.”</p><p>“It was simple really. A lot of the supposed victims were public figures.” The journalist said as if that explained everything.</p><p>“Some of them are seemingly normal citizens, Mr. Kim. I'm sure coming up with proof for such heavy accusations of murder, domestic abuse, and human trafficking to those people is anything but simple.” Baekhyun asked, a bit incensed.</p><p>“Are you questioning the veracity of my report?” Jongdae raised his voice. “I'll have you know that our paper and myself, in particular, are highly reputable and won't publish falsities.”</p><p>“No, that was not what I was saying.” Baekhyun groaned. “Shit, I'm not good at interr- talking to people. Kyungsoo, please take over.”</p><p>Kyungsoo coughed. “To paraphrase what my companion said, we want to know where you got the lead for the more private people you talked about in the article.”</p><p>Jongdae hummed, hesitant to answer the question. “I may have received the initial information in my mail from an anonymous informant.”</p><p>That was the cue they were looking for. “Did you check for any traces? A hair strand or a fingerprint?”</p><p>“The Yorknewer takes its credibility seriously, such things were checked in a hired private laboratory. Several investigators also personally verified the information in the given files.” The journalist responded.</p><p>“Then perhaps did you have any CCTV footage of your doorstep?” Kyungsoo offered. “Please, Any information about the informant may aid in our investigation.”</p><p>Jongdae scowled. “What makes you think that I want to help you catch the phantom assassin?”</p><p>“Sir, I understand how you feel but he's still a criminal in the eyes of the law,” Baekhyun interjected. “No matter his intentions, giving punishment outside of the law is considered a crime.”</p><p>“All he does is bring justice to those who can't be touched by this country's too corrupt of a justice system.” Jongdae slammed his hand on the table. “Tell me, what makes you different from you guys who hunt and kill criminals just because of a blacklist that the mafia and government collectively put out?”</p><p>“We have bylaws to not harm any innocent citizen, sir,” Baekhyun replied. “We have checks and balances from the Hunter Association, something that vigilante killing doesn't have.”</p><p>“And what does it say about the Association when plenty of known licensed hunters turn out to be criminals as well?” Jongdae argued. “Not to mention the fact that the hunter association continuously endangers children's lives by allowing people even below age 15 to take the exam and be given a license?”</p><p>It was true, both Kyungsoo and Baekhyun had taken the exam when they were both 13. A tad younger than other applicants, but certainly not the youngest in history.</p><p>“That's a failure of execution, not of the concept of the association,” Baekhyun shot back. “And people were not allowed to kill other people during the hunter exam.”</p><p>“But a lot of licensed hunters kill for the sake of justice—some of them starting on that path as mere children.” The journalist jabbed a finger to Baekhyun’s chest. “And do other sapient species not count as people? Tell me Mr. Byun Baekhyun, how many Chimera Ants have you killed in the name of us all?”</p><p>“The ant faction was hell-bent on conquering humanity itself!” Baekhyun shouted. The people around them started to look at them.</p><p>“Were they? Or were they just following orders from their higher-ups like most people in inferior social class do? Do you think that deserved the no-trial death sentence they were given or does killing only matter when it's against humans?” The journalist accused.</p><p>To that, the hunters do not have an answer.</p><p>“Do what you want, but I just think it's pretty hypocritical of you to continue hunting the phantom assassin.” Kim Jongdae stood up from his seat, bowed, and left briskly.</p><p>“Well, that was something.” Baekhyun tried to lighten up the mood. but it was clear that he was affected by the journalist's words.</p><p>It took Kyungsoo a few minutes deep in thought to reply. “Are we going to continue?”</p><p>“I don't know, it's up to you. If you want to continue, I'll be with you.” Baekhyun answered honestly. “Then let's continue.” Kyungsoo sighed.</p><p>“And bring him to justice?” Baekhyun inquired, looking at his eyes.</p><p>“I don't know.”</p>
<hr/><p>Blood dripped on his shaky hands. He did it—he actually did it. He grabbed a knife in anger and plunged it to the heart of the man who carried him on his shoulders. He looked right back at the man's disbelieving stare.</p><p>“That was for mom.” He could hardly recognize his own voice as he spoke. His father's expression shifted from shock to a bitter laugh. “I guess she did manage to raise you well.”</p><p>“She did.” Minutes passed, and the warmth in his father was fading fast. The tears that overflowed onto his face felt like scorching metal as a mixture of jubilation, grief, pain, and regret lumped together and rose like bile to his throat.</p><p>IT was at that state that his childhood friend, Chanyeol found him. The orphan had the guts to steal from the manor of the Kim Family and for that, he was rewarded a place beside the heir. He was his first member of his inner family—his assistant.</p><p>“Let's go. We need to be gone before the others arrive.” His friend pulled him away from his father's cold body. Their plan was simple, they were to stay the night at a schoolmate, Oh Sehun's house for a school project on the opposite side of the city. And they were, but right now all the innocent family knows is that Chanyeol and Junmyeon are stuck in traffic.</p><p>Inside the last car in a chain of complicated routes of taxi rides, just minutes away from their destination, Junmyeon finally found his voice again. “Yeol, why do I feel unhappy? I thought I'd be happier.”</p><p>Chanyeol only squeezed his hands to reassure him that this was the right decision. The man Junmyeon called a father has done even worse as a head of a prominent Mafia family. But they both know that it doesn't erase the bitter feeling inside Junmyeon.</p>
<hr/><p>Their next case came not from Baekhyun's drones, but from a message from Minseok. A victim turned up in the suburbs of Los Daemonos—out of the range of the drones. It was on the other side of the continent but thankfully, their friend Kai still was up to carrying them to the location.</p><p>“How long ago did the crime occur,” Kyungsoo asked Yixing- Minseok's friend on the east coast, as soon as they reached the location. This time, there was a minimal number of officers in the vicinity. With the public debacle, the higher-ups deemed the phantom assassin cases to low-priority.</p><p>“Just about an hour ago actually. The man lived with his partner who reported his disappearance as soon as he woke up.” To his merit, the detective didn't seem fazed at their arrival.</p><p>“Woke up, did he pass out mysteriously just before the disappearance?” Baekhyun asked. If the witness did, it was the second time such a thing happened and might lead to a new modus for the phantom assassin.</p><p>“There's nothing mysterious about it.” The detective scoffed. He looked at the two hunters rather unkindly. “The two were having an argument, and the 'victim' hit the witness' head with a small vase. It's fortunate that the witness even survived. The man used to be a suspect of a serial killing case around here—he only got crossed off the list because he was the nephew of the governor.”</p><p>This kind of development was already expected by Kyungsoo, but it still weighed on him. Regardless, he chose to press on. “Can we see the witness?”</p><p>“He's inside waiting for the ambulance to arrive,” Yixing replied. “Frankly, he isn't in any state for your badgering.”</p><p>“We will not be interrogating him,” Kyungsoo promised. “I just need to see something with my own eyes. Please.”</p><p>The detective reluctantly stepped aside, letting the hunters through. Kyungsoo cracked the door open, not minding the weird look that the officers inside were giving him. He conjured his glasses and inspected the vitals of the injured man. He was suffering from minor blood loss and trauma to the head. But that wasn't the point of interest for Kyungsoo—that was his latent life energy which was on the safe side, but still on the considerably lower end for a seemingly fit and young man.</p><p>“Baek, isn't his latent life energy a bit low?” Kyungsoo whispered, but it seemed like the other hunter had his eyes somewhere. “Baek?”</p><p>He looked at where his friend was looking and found the card in an evidence bag—still glowing harshly with Nen.</p><p>Thousands of explanations were running through Kyungsoo's mind—but all lead to the same conclusion. The ability is not done yet, which means the assassin will be still near the area. He pulled his friend outside.</p><p>“He's still nearby,” Kyungsoo said. “We can find him. Do you have any idea where he might be?”</p><p>“No, but I bet Mr. Yixing does,” Baekhyun replied. “Sir, is there any empty house near here? Or maybe a hostel?”</p><p>“There’s one hostel here. Just on the other street, you won't miss it.” Yixing pointed in the direction.</p><p>Baekhyun quickly thanked him and jogged off. “Stay here on the lookout in case he shows up somewhere unexpected!”</p><p>Kyungsoo switched his glasses to the x-ray vision mode and scanned the neighborhood—looking for the familiar calm heartbeat of the assassin. However, all he found was the frantic heartbeats of the townspeople.</p><p>They hypothesized that one of the possibilities of the phantom assassin's Nen ability includes the assassin being transported together with the victim. And considering that the card is currently still glowing, then maybe the assassin still hasn't been transported back. There are myriads of ways you can use a transportation ability to kill. The assassin could instantly place the victim in the deep seas, or just right into the mouth of a volcano. For what purpose the assassin transports himself with the victims, they do not know. Kyungsoo's best guess is that it's about confirming that the victim is truly dead.</p><p>The moment the phantom assassin showed up again, Kyungsoo instinctively felt a pull for him to scan one of the for-sale houses again. Only this time, instead of being empty—Kyungsoo saw the familiar vitals being distressed.</p><p>Something was wrong.</p><p>He sprinted in the direction of the house. The doors were shut, and the curtains were drawn. There was no way he would have known there was someone inside without his glasses. He found the back door surprisingly unlocked and he made his way to one of the bedrooms—the one with the least windows on it.</p><p>“So, you found me.” The phantom assassin said as soon as he passed the doorway. “I apologize if I look rather unpresentable right now.”</p><p>The sight in front of Kyungsoo was mildly shocking, to say the least. The well-put man Kyungsoo bumped into the diner and the building lobby had his hair damp, his arms and chest running with deep gashes.</p><p>“What happened to you?” He rushed to the side of the man. The gashes were still open and dripping with blood. Suho would faint soon and die from blood loss at this state. He didn't have a lot on him, and the room was bare so he did the only thing he can think of. He conjured his Nen handcuffs. “Hold still.”</p><p>There was a defeated look on his face, but the man seemed to humor him and even held out his hands. Kyungsoo wrapped one of the cuffs to the man's right arm—just above a large gash, and after a moment of indecision, wrapped the other to his own.</p><p>The effect of the cuffs was instant, as they both feel their bodies plunge into a zero Nen state—closing off their aura nodes.</p><p>“Why?” Suho asked, staring at the conjured metal cuffs.</p><p>“This way your body can focus on healing itself—instead of putting up defenses,” Kyungsoo said, tightening the cuff on Suho's badly injured arm tighter. He needed to restrict blood flow to the wound and give it time to clot.</p><p>Suho shook his head. “No, I mean why did you cuff yourself with me.”</p><p>If he was being honest, Kyungsoo also thought he might be going crazy doing all of this for the phantom assassin. Closing all the aura nodes leaves the person undefended from even the weakest Nen-infused attack. If Suho had a Nen capable accomplice, Kyungsoo would be dead in an instant. But he knew that this was the right thing to do if he was to talk earnestly with the man.</p><p>“Because I wanted to show you that I don't intend to harm you.” Kyungsoo finally replied. The assassin seemed baffled by his answer—and even to Kyungsoo himself, it sounded like a betrayal to his mission. “For now, at least. I just wanted to talk.”</p><p>The man stared at his eyes as if to ascertain his true intent. The hunter found himself staring back, watching as the corner of the other's eyes relaxed as he seemed to find his answer. “So, talk.”</p><p>“What happened?” Kyungsoo gestured to the gashes that were thankfully starting to dry.</p><p>“Hmm.” The corner of Suho's lips curled up slightly. “I'm sure you have some theory on what happened. Tell me Kyungsoo-ssi.”</p><p>“The vic—” Kyungsoo cleared his throat. “The man you were hired to kill. He did this to you.”</p><p>“And how did he do it?” Suho seemed pleased at his answer. “I could have simply dropped him into a pit of spikes and I just tripped and fell in myself.”</p><p>“You fought him.” That was the answer that made the most sense to Kyungsoo. Suho was no ordinary assassin, he had a strict moral code he followed if all of his targets have been involved in something really bad. Maybe he had a fighter’s code he follows? Or maybe he just wants to kill them with his own hands. “You fought him—as you do with all of the others. But this time, the target managed to fight back.”</p><p>“Serial killers usually are a pain in the ass to handle.” Suho sighed. Kyungsoo perked up slightly at the mention of the target's crimes. “And before you ask, yes I had proof that he did kill at least 50 civilians.”</p><p>“Where did you find your proof?” Kyungsoo asked. “It's from your client isn't it?”</p><p>“Ah you are right- But I'm afraid I have a strict rule of client confidentiality,” Suho replied. “You must understand, it's bad for business if I reveal who my clients are. They don't reveal who I am, and I don't reveal who they are. Assassin contracts should be based on mutual trust you see.”</p><p>The clients could have been anyone for the very high-profile cases—if all that was needed was a grudge. But since the proof came from the clients—then maybe it was someone closer to the targets?</p><p>“What did you do to the secretary last time?” Kyungsoo narrowed his eyes, an idea springing to his mind. Once he got to the crime scene fast enough, both times there was a person in the crime scene with lowered life energy. “And to the target's partner?”</p><p>“What do you mean?” Suho replied, obviously putting up an innocent front. Kyungsoo instinctively pressed on the assassin's wounds, drawing a groan from the man. “Okay, fine. I might have used their life energy for the ability. Teleporting two people takes a lot you know?”</p><p>“That’s risky, you could have killed them. Unless —” The realization shook Kyungsoo—his gut plummeting. Taking someone’s life energy unwillingly could have caused instant death. Suho didn’t seem to be someone who endangers bystanders with his moral code. But what if the ability was made to use two people’s energy willingly. “They were the clients. No, they were more than that. They were the ones who activated the ability in the first place.”</p><p>To activate the ability, both casters needed to be at most around 150 meters away from the activation point. And the one who activates the ability needed to be so close that they were almost touching – that was the client. The client who knew the ins and outs of the target’s crimes – like a secretary or a live-in partner. It also solves the problem of no witnesses ever saying someone unknown went near the targets. There was no third accomplice with Nen disguise. It was the clients themselves.</p><p>“I can neither deny nor confirm,” Suho said cheekily. He seemed really happy with the hunter’s conclusions. Kyungsoo pressed on his wound again. “Look, punish me all you want, but as I said trust between the client is important.”</p><p>“I'm pretty sure your clients don't even remember you. You wiped their memory of you and the deal. it’s part of their contract.” He might be jumping to conclusions, but Kyungsoo's guts told him he was on the right path. He personally interrogated the witnesses of previous cases. They weren’t lying. They really did not have anything to do with the crime – or so they believe. Wiping the memory of a crowd of people is almost impossible, but wiping the memory of the accomplice was easy. “But how did I miss it before? What happened to the other clients, and why didn't the police note it before?”</p><p>“The burden was a touch too much to bear for the fragile secretary,” Suho answered after a while. “Usually people don't lose consciousness. The police usually call you in a few hours after the crime. That's enough for life energy to be restored. Do you understand everything now, Kyungsoo-ssi?”</p><p>“One thing—there’s still a thing I still don't understand one thing,” Kyungsoo admitted, releasing his hold on Suho's wounded arm. “Why?”</p><p>“Why what?” Suho hissed. “Why do I kill them? You know what kind of garbage these people were. You knew that they were never going to get punished for their crimes.”</p><p>“No—not that. I understand that part.” And it was the truth.</p><p>For Kyungsoo not to understand, meant drowning himself in hypocrisy. He does not agree with Suho’s methods. He tried his best to not kill criminals on purpose during his hunts. But there were cases where it happened. And in some of his cases against prominent people still got thrown out even with overwhelming evidence. He understands his investigation even if the public seems too like the phantom assassin.</p><p>“I don’t agree with your methodology but I understand. What I don't understand is why you fight the targets. You can drop them off a vast ocean and they will die. I don't understand why you make your clients forget that they were the clients. Just wiping your identity is enough if all you want is safety. And despite your true name still not popping up even weeks after we uploaded your sketch, that was just a side benefit of what you wanted to achieve.”</p><p>“Because I want the targets to know why exactly they're dying. I wanted them to know that because they did everything in power to avoid the scales of justice—it will be retribution's sword that will strike them. I want them to know and understand the pain and fear they have inflicted upon this world.” Suho gripped Kyungsoo's hand. “But I also know how it feels to reach the point that you want someone in your life gone from the world—no matter how much they deserve it. I know how it eats you up, turns your insides out, and drowns you in guilt. So, I grant to my clients the mercy from that; the knowledge that they were the ones who decided enough was enough. To them, all it will be was a coincidence, maybe a lucky blessing.”</p><p>The house was eerily quiet—with no hum of electricity flowing through it. The dusk darkened the room as the sun hid below the horizon.</p><p>Kyungsoo looked at Suho's eyes. “You killed someone in your life, didn't you? Someone who did horrible things.”</p><p>“I did,” Suho admitted easily. “My father, after I discovered that he orchestrated my mother's death.”</p><p>“That's—” For once, Kyungsoo didn't know what to say. “I'm sorry for your loss, and I'm sorry you had to do that with your own hands.”</p><p>“Kyungsoo-ssi, what do you know about the Kim Mafia Family?” Suho's voice was hesitant. His eyes flickering everywhere.</p><p>It was something that puzzled both Kyungsoo and Baekhyun—the last mystery in this series of cases.
“Not much to be honest. I didn’t find anything about it.”</p><p>“Well, there's one you should know.” A deep voice boomed just behind him.</p><p>Kyungsoo turned and was faced by a tall man with bow legs and silver hair. It was the companion.</p><p>“It's that we don't leave our own behind.” A syringe was jammed to his legs. His eyes drooped while Suho mouthed a quick apology to him.</p><p>They laid him down as they prepared their escape.</p><p>“Hurry up.”</p><p>“Wait, my hand is still tied.”</p><p>“Huh. Interesting. I have a bolt cutter here, wait.”</p><p>“He's a strong hunter—you had to give him a double dose. Of course, his conjured items stay even when unconscious.“</p><p>“That's not what I was saying, that's interesting.”</p><p>What followed is a cacophony of hushed whispers and the sound of metal scraping.</p><p>“Wait.”</p><p>“What? What are you writing?”</p><p>“It's kind of rude to leave without saying goodbye, don’t you think?”</p><p>“That's—UGH. Just hurry up you sap.”</p><p>Kyungsoo felt a card being placed on his pant pocket as his mind finally slipped into darkness.</p><hr/><p>Kyungsoo woke up to the darkness of the night with Baekhyun shaking him awake. He has been out for an hour. The phantom assassin has escaped again—the police finding nothing of notice in this case.</p><p>Baekhyun went searching for him – as there was nobody suspicious staying in the hostel.</p><p>Kyungsoo sat up and felt around his pockets. He didn’t know if he was hallucinating it but he distinctly remembers Suho leaving him a card in his pants.</p><p>
  <i>I'm sorry I had to run. My friend was a bit paranoid about how much blood I lost. I'm sure we will meet again, Kyungsoo-ssi. I know you're not one to give up on a chase. I look forward to our next time.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Love,</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Kim Junmyeon</i>
</p><p>
  <i>PS: Sorry for cutting the handcuffs, although I'm sure you can conjure an unbroken one.<br/>
PPS: Maybe next time we'll have another use for it other than a heart to heart.</i>
</p><p>Kyungsoo felt his lips curl up in a small smile. Kim Junmyeon, that was the name of the missing Kim Mafia heir before the family went radio silent.</p><p>“Kyungsoo-yah what’s that?” Baekhyun asked, reaching for the white card.</p><p>“We have an underground mafia family heir to find,” Kyungsoo remarked.</p><p>It seemed that the hunt had just barely begun.</p>
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